As summer approaches, many lifters become preoccupied with getting shredded. Dare I say that some become obsessed with it? Most of us can appreciate a ripped physique, but the lifestyle is often an…

As summer approaches, many lifters become preoccupied with getting shredded. Dare I say that some become obsessed with it? Most of us can appreciate a ripped physique, but the lifestyle is often anything but glamorous.

As we dig into this topic, I’ve included some photos of me posing at the leanest I’ve ever been. They were taken just a few weeks out from the California Natural Muscle Mayhem, where I won the Lightweight Class, the Overall, and earned my Pro Card in Natural Bodybuilding.

Keep in mind that these photos were shot on an iPhone 5S, so it doesn’t capture the best details. Below, are two progress photos from the same time frame, at the same level of leanness.

Although I speak to the grueling and ugly side of all this, I do think that this level of leanness looks pretty cool. I also understand and relate to why so many people aim for not just getting lean, but getting shredded and then staying shredded.

Inspired by seeing fitness influencers who maintain their shredded physique year-round, a lot of people set the same goal for themselves, without realizing the dark side of it all.

In this blog, I’m going to lay out 3 Harsh Realities of Being Shredded.I’ll then proceed to explain a better, more practical approach to getting and maintaining the physique you want.

HARSH REALITY #1

When you get shredded, if you have good lighting and a good camera, you’ll look your biggest and leanest when flexing or lifting. However, you’ll most likely look your smallest and most depleted for the other 23 hours of the day.

In this posing photo, Cliff is only 150 pounds (68 kilos) at 5 foot 5 inches tall. While he admits to looking more jacked here than usual, he’s quick to point out that he looked much less jacked than usual just walking around.

This is where the so-called Natty Triangle illustrates it well. As a natural lifter, most people get to pick 2.  If you choose to be shredded and natural, don’t expect to be big. If you choose to be big and natural, you won’t be shredded. Thirdly, if you aim to be both big and shredded, you likely won’t be natural.